NEW YORK CITY, Jan 1 — United Nations (UN) Secretary General António Guterres condemned on Wednesday a move by Israel to ban electricity or water to facilities owned by the UN Palestinian refugee agency.
His spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said the move would "further impede" the agency's ability to operate and carry out activities.
"The Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations remains applicable to UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East), its property and assets, and to its officials and other personnel.
"Property used by UNRWA is inviolable," he said, adding that the UNRWA is an "integral" part of the world body.
UNRWA Commissioner General Phillipe Lazzarini also condemned the move, saying that it was part of an ongoing " systematic campaign to discredit UNRWA and thereby obstruct" the role it plays in assisting Palestinian refugees.
In 2024, the Israeli Knesset passed a law banning the agency from operating in the country and prohibiting its officials from having contact with it.
As a result, UNRWA operates in East Jerusalem, which the UN considers territory occupied by Israel. Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be part of the country.
The agency provides education, health and aid to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. It has long had tense relations with Israel, but ties have deteriorated sharply since the start of the war in Gaza, and Israel has called repeatedly for UNRWA to be disbanded, with its responsibilities transferred to other UN agencies.
The prohibition of basic utilities to the UN agency came as Israel also suspended dozens of international non-governmental organisations working in Gaza due to a failure to meet new rules to vet those groups.
In a joint statement on Tuesday, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom said that such a move would have a severe impact on access to essential services, including healthcare.
They said one in three healthcare facilities in Gaza would close if international NGO operations stopped.
